Have you ever walked into a room and felt like you needed to leave parts of yourself at the door to fit in?

Or felt like you were chasing connection instead of resting in a place where you’re accepted exactly as you are?

When we spend our lives trying to perform for inclusion, we miss out on the deep, unconditional healing of true belonging.

In this soulful, grounded episode of the Women Changing the World podcast, Lis Best chats with Jennifer Au, daughter of this Earth, mother to twin daughters, ritualist, experience designer and GCC community lead, about the art and practice of true belonging.

Jennifer shares her winding path through public health, aging and technology, education and yoga, unpacking how tending to our inner worlds transforms the way we show up for others and how our communities and relationships can serve as mirrors for our growth.

Together, they explore the difference between routine and ritual. They dive into how we can stop performing to fit in and explore the power of being fully present and listening without trying to fix or solve.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• [09:27] Belonging vs. fitting in
• [12:52] The power of presence and community care
• [27:01] Experience design and intentional connection
• [32:48] Turning everyday routines into rituals
• [41:26] Ritual as a pathway to belonging

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Connect with Jennifer Au:

• Connect with Jennifer Au on LinkedIn

News:

• Join the GCC 2027 desert portal retreat

Resources:

Listen to Ep. 89: Imagining and Matriarchal Future with Tracee Worley

Listen to Ep. 75: Connecting and Elevating Impact Leaders with Marssie Versola

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

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HASHTAGS:

#FeministEntrepreneurship #FeministBusiness #WomenChangingTheWorld #FeminineLeadership #community #girlsclubcollective #ClimateChange #ChangeMaker #Belonging #Ritual #RitualAndCeremony #ExperienceDesign

What does it actually mean to have courage in a world where taking risks can come with real consequences?

What happens when the work you're doing to build a better future starts costing you your own well-being, freedom, or sense of self?

In this episode of the Women Changing the World podcast, Lis Best talks with Michelle MiJung Kim, founder and CEO of The Courage Studio, award-winning author of The Wake Up, and producer and host of I Feel That Way Too, about collective courage, social justice, values alignment, burnout, entrepreneurship, AI, and creating the conditions for meaningful change.

Michelle explores what courage actually means, and why creating the conditions for courage matters so much more than simply inviting people to “be courageous.”

Michelle shares how losing 90% of her income after speaking out on Palestine, walking away from her successful company, and rebuilding a deliberately small business has changed her relationship with stability, freedom, and self-worth.

They also explore how to approach AI through personal values and non-negotiables, rather than fear, shame, or feeling behind.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• [00:04:14] Michelle’s journey from youth activism, management consulting, and tech to social entrepreneurship, and the tension between stability, freedom, and living your values.
• [00:08:32] Rethinking stability: moving from external financial security toward internal self-trust and the belief that you can navigate uncertainty.
• [00:11:56] What courage really is, why individual bravery isn't enough, and how we can create the conditions for collective courage.
• [00:18:26] What it means to dismantle the systems we participate in, and why meaningful change can require us to examine what we benefit from.
• [00:24:06] When being useful becomes tied to your sense of worth, and what Michelle learned from burnout, entrepreneurship, and choosing herself.
• [00:35:07] Michelle’s two-month trip to Korea, making space for uncertainty, rest, identity, and homecoming.
• [00:37:44] AI and social justice: how to move beyond “use AI or fall behind” and make intentional choices based on your values and non-negotiables.
• [00:46:53] Why Michelle created I Feel That Way Too as another way to create space for collective courage and make difficult questions feel less lonely.

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Connect with Michelle MiJung Kim:

• Learn more about Michelle MiJung Kim on her website
• Sign up for her newsletter
• Connect with Michelle MiJung Kim on LinkedIn
• Listen to the I Feel That Way Too podcast
• Read The Wake Up: Closing the Gap between Good Intentions and Real Change

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

Do you feel you are ready to leave behind the demands of capitalist business models? Do you wonder if there’s a way to build a sustainable, resilient organization without sacrificing your health, values, or local community? Are you curious about the relationship between your feminist principles and the financial viability of your company?

In this inspiring new episode of the Women Changing the World podcast, Lis Best sits down with author, consultant, and Sister founder Jennifer Armbrust to dive into feminist business.

Jennifer shares how feminism, punk, academia, illness, and entrepreneurship have shaped her work, and introduces the ideas behind Feminist Business 2.0, ecosystem economics, and the body as a portal for creating systemic change.

Together, they discuss how moving beyond patriarchal norms and traditional capitalist values allows us to view business as art, embrace collective resilience, and build meaningful community support systems. Learn for actionable insights for auditing your hidden resources, meeting genuine human needs, and transitioning into Feminist Business 2.0, plus an invitation to stop trying to build everything alone.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• 03:24 — Jennifer's journey into feminism and entrepreneurship
• 11:01 — How Proposals for the Feminine Economy began
• 16:32 — Feminist Business 1.0 vs. Feminist Business 2.0
• 20:57 — From individual success to collective resilience
• 23:14 — Ecosystem economics
• 32:09 — The body as a portal
• 38:14 — Rethinking the solopreneur model
• 40:56 — From girlboss to something more radical
• 43:21 — Ideas become change through practice
• 46:18 — What healing our bodies can teach us
• 48:58 — Knowing your role in your business
• 52:28 — Is capitalism on its way out?

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Connect with Jennifer Armbrust:

• Connect with Jennifer Armbrust on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Jennifer Armbrust on her website
• Learn more about Sister
• Join the waitlist for the new workshop, Introduction to the Resilient Business Model: An Embodied, Ecologic, Economic Framework for Feminist Entrepreneurs & Nonprofit Administrators

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Listen to Women Changing the World Episode 12 with Jamie Varon

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

When it comes to AI, are you feeling like you're already “behind”? Worried about the trade-offs for the parts of being human that matter most to you?

In this episode of Women Changing the World, Lis Best talks with entrepreneur, AI educator, and keynote speaker Bree Whitehead about taking a radically human approach to artificial intelligence.

Bree shares her “Be Human” philosophy, which explores how we can use AI not to replace ourselves or optimize our way into burnout, but to create more space for curiosity, connection, creativity, rest, and becoming who we actually want to be. Bree believes AI can restore our humanity—if we let it.

Together, they explore AI’s potential to reduce the mental load, support personal growth, expand access to opportunity, and help us rethink what we value in a world where technology can increasingly handle production and optimization.

They also have an honest conversation about digital privacy, human discernment, the future of work, why generalists may thrive in an AI-powered world, and how to start experimenting with AI if you’re feeling called to explore.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• [00:07:15] How Bree went from AI tinkering to becoming an AI educator and why being a generalist may be a superpower in the AI era.
• [00:13:27] Bree's “Be Human” philosophy and why human connection, curiosity, lived experience, and discernment may become more valuable as AI handles more output.
• [00:15:09] Why women may be uniquely positioned to benefit from AI and how a personal life operating system could dramatically reduce the mental load and invisible work women carry.
• [00:27:17] How Bree uses AI for personal growth and self-reflection, and the essential role of human discernment when AI reflects our patterns back to us.
• [00:33:17] The uncomfortable truth about digital privacy: what we've already traded away through the internet, smartphones, and social media.
• [00:38:20] How to avoid turning AI into another form of hustle culture, and instead use it to create more space for rest, play, curiosity, and a life that feels like your own.
• [00:44:21] Feeling behind on AI? Bree's simple advice for getting started—and why recording your thoughts may be the most powerful first step.

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Our Guest Info:

• Connect with Bree Whitehead on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Bree Whitehead on her website

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

What happens when you finally put something deeply personal and creatively ambitious out into the world, and then have to let go of control over what happens next?

After months of preparing for my first TEDx talk, I found myself in the strange liminal space between “it’s done” and “the world hasn’t seen it yet.” And underneath the excitement is the very human mix of nerves, self-doubt, waiting, and the question of how much space I’m willing to take up.

In this reflective behind-the-scenes episode of the Women Changing the World podcast, I reflect on my TEDx journey, from discovering the opportunity and applying, to writing, rehearsing, giving the talk, and making peace with what I would have done differently.

I explore what it means to step into authority, make work that feels like art, embrace relational intelligence and feminine leadership, and practice grace when real life inevitably shapes what we create.

As I stand on my own threshold, I also share what’s coming next: a new manifesto and an intimate five-month experience designed to help other women step into your next chapter through embodied, relational leadership.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• [00:03:45] Why I wanted to capture my TEDx experience before the talk was released, and what it means to be witnessed at a much bigger scale.
• [00:21:22] The central idea behind my TEDx talk: why the leadership that created the climate crisis is not the leadership that will solve it, and why relational intelligence matters.
• [00:24:01] The reality of preparing for a TEDx talk, including rehearsal, memorization, self-doubt, and giving yourself grace when you’re doing ambitious work alongside real life.
• [00:26:33] What I would do differently—including making more personal invitations—and my reminder to let people decide for themselves whether they want to show up for your big moments.
• [00:34:02] What’s emerging on the other side of TEDx: my manifesto and The Threshold, a new intimate experience centered on embodied relational leadership, liminality, intuition, and creating the future we want to live into.

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Resources Mentioned:

• • Episode 22 with Gesche Haas
  • Lindsay MacMillan’s Speaker Gateway Program
  • Authority Letters with Ellen Donnelly

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

Feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of climate change and planetary crises?Wondering if your current efforts are actually making a difference, or if you're just spinning your wheels?

In this inspiring conversation, Lis Best chats with founder, psychologist, researcher, and strategist Renée Lertzman about transforming our approach to climate action and change-making. Renée shares her groundbreaking insights on how understanding human psychology, especially around topics like control, trauma, and belonging, can help us become more effective change agents, impact strategists and conveners by reimagining our roles as guides.

Together, they explore how to navigate the emotional landscape of environmental work with kindness, curiosity, and strategic compassion.

Whether you're leading a team, engaging stakeholders, or building community, this episode will help you navigate the emotional landscape of systems change work with grace, curiosity, and compassion.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

[00:00] Introduction: Overcoming emotional barriers in climate impact work

[08:12] Debunking outdated assumptions about human motivation and engagement in environmental action

[15:22] The five guiding principles for effective change: Attune, Reveal, Convene, Equip, Sustain

[27:18] Why the how of convening is critical—trauma-informed approaches to creating safe, powerful spaces

[34:07] Understanding the role of control in impact work and practicing guiding instead of forcing

[40:03] Tips for discerning whether your motivation is control or collective hope

[41:58] The importance of staying in a state of expansion—neuroscience insights on resilience

[44:40] Becoming a guide: cultivating self-awareness and evoking connection, not control

[49:04] Renee’s upcoming book: So You Want to Change the World—a practical guide for change makers

[52:07] How to stay connected with Renee: Substack, LinkedIn, and website

[52:50] Closing remarks: Join community, stay inspired, and keep creating impact

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Reneé Lertzman Info:

• Follow Renée Lertzman on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to Renée’s Substack
• Learn more about Project InsideOut
• Renée Lertzman’s website

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

In our current “world between worlds,” many of us are searching for certainty. Is the real invitation learning how to lead through the unknown?

In this thoughtful conversation, Lis Best sits down with ritualist, cultural transformation facilitator, leadership coach, and We Are The Great Turning podcast host and creator Jess Serrante to explore liminality—the space between what was and what’s becoming.

Jess shares the teachings of her mentor, Joanna Macy, the philosophy behind The Work That Reconnects, and why this moment in history calls for a different kind of leadership rooted in integrity, belonging, and collective responsibility.

Together, they discuss how to navigate uncertainty, foster matriarchy, move beyond individualism, change systems, and lead with integrity during times of personal and societal transformation.

If you're experiencing a life transition, questioning old systems, or searching for hope in a rapidly changing world, this conversation offers nurturing words, wisdom, perspective, and practical ways to embrace possibility in the unknown.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

[05:30] Defining liminality and the transformational power of threshold moments

[09:26] The three stories shaping our current world

[11:20] Introducing The Great Turning and Joanna Macy’s legacy

[22:05] Jess’s journey from climate activist to coach and facilitator

[39:30] Leading through uncertainty, complexity, and change

[40:00] Reframing disruption and the possibility hidden inside uncertainty

[42:05] The myth of individualism and importance of belonging

[44:40] Moving beyond the hero’s journey toward collective leadership

[46:29] Finding hope in uncertainty and possibility

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Jess Serrante Info:

• Follow Jess Serrante on Linkedin
• Follow Jess Serrante on Substack
• Jess Serrante’s website
• Tune into We Are the Great Turning

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.

You can spend years building a “dream life”… and one day realize your soul is craving a new adventure. What happens when you leave behind the life you worked years to build and say yes to a completely different dream?

In this inspiring episode of Women Changing the World Podcast, Lis Best sits down with adventurer, writer, sailor, and strategic communications consultant Stephanie Dolmat to explore what it means to radically trust yourself and say yes to a new dream.

Stephanie shares the story of leaving corporate sustainability behind to sail across the Pacific Ocean, become the captain of her own sailboat, and build a life rooted in creativity, community, feminine leadership, and freedom. Together, they unpack fear, courage, asking for help, embracing uncertainty, and creativity as a compass and guide.

If you’ve been craving more adventure, alignment, or courage in your own life, this conversation is for you.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Episode Outline:

• [02:05] Why Stephanie left a career in corporate sustainability to pursue a more adventurous and creative life
• [08:56] What it was really like sailing 4,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia
• [17:37] How to feel fear, face uncertainty, and still say yes to the life calling you forward
• [19:38] Stephanie’s perspective on feminine leadership, community, and becoming the captain of her sailboat
• [27:16] Why allowing opportunities to come to you can create an abundant and aligned business
• [30:03] How to cultivate a creativity practice that feels expansive, joyful, and deeply human
• [35:53] Stephanie’s favorite quotes on creativity, transformation, and self-expression
• [38:16] What Stephanie is calling in next as she continues building a life of adventure

Connect with Us:

• Lis Best's website
• Learn more about the Girls Club Collective
• Connect with Girls Club Collective and Lis Best on LinkedIn
• Join the next GCC Community Power Hour
• Inquire about coaching with Lis

Stephanie Dolmat Info:

• Subscribe to the Sea Witch Diaries on Substack
• Follow Stephanie on Linkedin

This episode was post-produced and edited by Yanina Mora.

The intro and outro music was created and produced by Daniel Mark.

About Lis:

Lis Best is an executive coach for impact leaders, founder of the Girls Club Collective, and host of the Women Changing the World podcast.

Since launching her business in 2020, Lis has helped hundreds of leaders navigate ESG and sustainability careers, launch heart-centered businesses, and become more effective change agents.